Owner: Stone Cold Steve Austin

Broadcast Team: 

Champions:

Following a very public falling out between President Trump and Vince McMahon, owner of Sports Entertainment giant WWE, things have escalated to an unprecedented level. Many expected that the President would simply fire McMahon's wife from her role as Administrator of the Small Business Administration. That wasn't enough for the Donald. Instead 45 has baffled the country by using his powers in an unprecedented manner. The President of the United States of America has signed an executive order banning professional wrestling! This has huge implications beyond McMahon's WWE, forcing other promotions such as Impact Wrestling, Ring of Honor and Lucha Underground to close. It has also halted New Japan Pro Wrestling's US expansion.

Ok, maybe I wasn't sold per se during the draft... But as a standalone fed idea, I'm all in on this. Can't wait for more!

That's absolutely hilarious. President Trump bans wrestling. He'd lose the next election for sure.

"I was fine with the Russia stuff, but NOBODY fucks with muh rasslin'!"

I loved what you did with this in the draft, very interested in this as a full time fed, ill be reading!

Highlights from Dave Meltzer's podcast with Steve Austin

Both men called this the craziest time in the history of professional wrestling. Meltzer said that he spent a couple of days in a complete daze just not sure what would be next. Steve said that he always tries to avoid politics on his podcast and in social media but if he can be partisan for just a minute, “Donald Trump can kiss my ass.”



They talked for a while about the British wrestling scene, New Japan and rumours of Impact moving itself permanently to Canada to try and get around the ban. Steve has reached out to Vince McMahon but says that it was a private conversation and he wants to respect that and keep things between the two of them. Dave said he reached out for comment but got no reply.



Steve asked Meltzer what he saw happening with wrestling going forward in the US. Dave said that obviously this won’t last forever, but we’ve no idea how long it will go on for an how strict things are going to be. Obviously all of the big organisations just have to comply otherwise people will go after them, but many smaller indie promotions are trying to run small shows under the radar and hope for the best.



Steve then thanks Dave for the chance to come on to the podcast. He wanted to come on the Observer podcast because he wanted a way to reach the widest wrestling audience possible. He claims that the wrestling ban is unconstitutional and as someone with nothing to lose he’s going to do everything he possible can to fight against it. He says he has financial backers and he’s going to put on his own wrestling shows on his ranch. “The way I see it, this is my own private property and this is America – if you want to put a stop to it, show up and see what happens.” He says he won’t charge to attend, tickets will be available via a lottery. “So people aren’t buying tickets to a wrestling show, they’re attending a party in my back yard and if a few of my friends fight to entertain us all – I don’t think that’s anyone’s business.”



For the rest of the world, Austin says a Canadian company are working on a streaming site, “sorta like the Network” that people will be able to pay for and as long as his lawyers give him the ok they’ll be able to air the shows live. “Is this a gamble? You bet your ass it’s a gamble. But there’s something about being told what I can and cannot do that makes me sick.” People can go to brokenskullranch.com for updates. Steve said that he’ll be running some small non-televised shows to work out the kinks, and details will be available for them soon.

In a first glimpse of what to expect from Steve Austin's new rebel wrestling plans, Broken Skull Ranch today announced the Broken Skull Challenge. In a short interview Austin claimed that he can't give everybody a job he wants to. He's currently signing people to contracts and will be giving trials to different competitors in a series of untelevised, invite-only shows on the ranch. As well as this he has identified 12 competitors he wants to see more closely. For these 12 men he has created the Broken Skull Challenge. A series of matches designed to give Austin a closer look and to give the winner of the challenge a Broken Skull contract. The challenge will take part in three rounds.

The Qualifying Rounds

These matches will be untelevised and will feature four blocks of three men competing in a round robin style tournament. Austin has selected a mixture of young up and coming stars as well as grizzled veterans looking for one final shot. The blocks are:

Block A: Alex Shelley, Flip Gordon, Zack Sabre Jr.
Block B: Drew Gulak, Mike Kanellis, Rocky Romero
Block C: Christopher Daniels, Noam Dar, Zema Ion
Block D: Dragon Lee, Eddie Edwards, Trent Barreta

Competitors will recieve 3 points for a win, 1 point for a draw and 0 points for a loss. The man with the most points from each block advances to the semi-finals.

The Semi-Final

The Semi-Finals will be the opening bouts at the first live Broken Skull Ranch show streamed live. In order to test their desire to do whatever it takes to win, Austin has decided that these matches will be no disqualification.

The Final

The final will take place later that night inside a steel cage with the winner earning a contract to compete in the Broken Skull Ranch.

So as I said last week, I’d somehow been drawn in the lottery for tickets to the first BSR show and I’m just back and it was awesome. There were maybe 1200 of us there packed into a big sweaty barn with bleachers set up and a ring in the middle. There was construction work going on across the ranch which you’d think would be some sort of larger building for when they go live. This was the wildest, most surreal night I’ve ever had as a wrestling fan.



Stone Cold came out to start things off which was unbelievable. He said that he doesn’t care if you’re Republican, Democrat or just don’t give a shit – this isn’t about politics it’s about professional wrestling. He said feel free to take photos and put them on social media – but remember, you didn’t pay to be here so we’re not breaking any laws…yet. Then he said it’s time to kick things off right…so I’m really glad to introduce to an old friend of mine…and out comes KURT FREAKIN ANGLE!!!



We did not expect this. We knew we’d have the guys from the Broken Skull Challenge and maybe a few local wrestlers and stuff…not anything like this. Kurt cuts a promo as Austin heads to the back saying that he doesn’t care if it’s 100,000 fans at Wrestlemania or 1000 in a barn in my buddies ranch – he just wants to wrestle. Then Chad Gable came out and we had the first match at the Broken Skull Ranch. This was unbelievable and the crowd was off the hook. Both guys looked like they were having the time of their lives out there. Some great chain wrestling at the start before Kurt was frustrated and slapped Gable across the face. Things got a bit more heated and they had a great back and forth match before Kurt caught Gable in the ankle lock. Gable kept trying everything he could to reverse it or to escape, and he got close lots of times but eventually had to tap out. Really fun match to kick things off.



We turned to the Broken Skull Challenge next and the first match from Block A was Zack Sabre Jr vs. Alex Shelley. Shelley was the crowd favourite here and Sabre honestly didn’t look all that happy to be there and was the first guy who was negative towards the red hot crowd. This was a real technical masterpiece, as would be expected. Shelley showed that he still has a lot in the tank but once Sabre locked in the Jim Breaks special Shelley had no choice but to verbally submit.



Mike Kannellis vs. Rocky Romero were up next from Group B. Maria came out with Mike which got a huge pop and she is looking great considering she gave birth not that long ago. Rocky cut a heel promo on his way to the ring but he got cheered anyway. A shorter match but quite hard hitting. Kannellis showed a lot considering he hasn’t been featured in the WWE in such a long time. He won with his Michinoku Driver.



Christopher Daniels came out next with the loudest pop since Austin and Angle at the start. He was wearing his old TNA-era ring gear and seemed realy happy to play the crowd favourite. Zema Ion got the biggest heat of the night so far and was clearly enjoying being such a douchebag. Huge pop when Daniels won after the Angels Wings.



Dragon Lee and Trent Baretta came out next and put on the best match of the night so far. Honestly I was not expecting guys to be going all out like this for such a small crowd but it was fantastic. The ring announcer told us that there was a twenty minute time limit for the Challenge matches but we totally forgot about it and were shocked when the bell rang and this one ended as a draw. To be honest, both guys were exhausted by this stage and after a minute of being shocked they both got a standing ovation.



We had no idea what to expect as all they’d announced was the Broken Skull Challenge so you can imagine how loud the place was when The Young Bucks came out next. People were losing their shit. And then The Bar came out next and people were hyped. This was a balls to the wall thrill ride. The Swing was maybe the highlight of the whole night. It was too quick to be real but we counted to a hundred. The Young Bucks won with a Cease and Desist. They spent ages going round the ring after the match taking selfies with the crowd.



They announced that the next match was the main event and we were pretty shocked when Charlotte’s music hit. She came through the curtain they had set up to a good reaction, but then she paused and looked back and the place came unglued when Ric Flair came out to join her. I don’t know who we were expecting next but I was super pumped when Asuka’s music hit and she came out. This was incredible. It was like their Wrestlemania match but not cut short and this time, Asuka won when she knocked Charlottle out with a big kick. You could tell some guys were a bit disappointed when Charlotte came out for the main event but no one was disappointed by the end of the night.



And then of course, Stone Cold came back out, chatted for a good long, had a beer bash and then stunned Ric for good measure before sending us on our way. This unbelievable. If you win tickets for the other shows I am so insanely jealous.



Results



Kurt Angle def. Chad Gable

Zack Sabre Jr. def. Alex Shelley (3 points)

Mike Kannellis def. Rocky Romero (3 points)

Christopher Daniels def. Zem Ion (3 points)

Dragon Lee and Trent Baretta wrestled to a 20 minute draw (1 point each)

The Young Bucks def. The Bar

Asuka def. Charlotte

What Can We Learn from Steve Austin's House Shows?

So we’ve now had three untelevised events at Steve Austin’s Broken Skull Ranch. Is Austin testing the waters for something much bigger as he’s suggested? Have they found a loophole that will allow them to exist as a wrestling promotion in the US? Do the signings of Seth Rollins and Finn Balor to New Japan mean that top WWE guys are looking outside of America for their futures? There are so many questions that we can’t even begin to fathom what’s next – but let’s look at what happened at these three shows and see what hints we can glean at what Austin (and others?) is up to. Here’s the results of the three shows.



Night One



Kurt Angle def. Chad Gable

Zack Sabre Jr. def. Alex Shelley (3 points)

Mike Kannellis def. Rocky Romero (3 points)

Christopher Daniels def. Zem Ion (3 points)

Dragon Lee and Trent Baretta wrestled to a 20 minute draw (1 point each)

The Young Bucks def. The Bar

Asuka def. Charlotte



Night Two



Sasha Banks def. Mickie James

Alex Shelley and Flip Gordon wrestled to a 20 minute draw (1 point each)

Drew Gulak def. Rocky Romero (3 points)

Noam Dar def. Zema Ion (3 points)

Eddie Edwards def. Trent Baretta (3 points)

Bayley def. Ember Moon

Kurt Angle and American Alpha def. William Regal and The Bar



Night Three



Cesaro def. Kofi Kingston

Zack Sabre Jr. def. Flip Gordon (3 points)

Drew Gulak def. Mike Kanellis (3 points)

Christopher Daniels def. Noam Dar (3 points)

Dragon Lee def. Eddie Edwards (3 points)

Sasha Banks and Bayley def. Rosemary and Mickie James

The Young Bucks def. American Alpha



Broken Skull Challenge

So the one thing that’s been headed in a concrete direction is the Broken Skull Challenge. To be honest, I’m really disappointed that this has been happening off screen. By all reports the matches have been excellent and really varied. Sabre, Gulak and Daniels all finished with 6 points while Dragon Lee made it through with 4. As well as being surprised that Alex Shelley and Eddie Edwards didn’t go further in the competition I’m intrigued to see if we ever get the semi-finals and final Austin promised. We know he wants to stream a live show but legally can this really happen? Is Austin really risking everything? And if only one of these four guys are getting a contract then that surely says a lot about the calibre of wrestler Austin is hiring because all four guys are great.



A Little Help From My Friends

What was awesome to read from the reports was how relaxed the shows were and the party-type atmosphere. Almost like a more sports-entertainmenty PWG. Part of that was Austin calling in a few favours – who else could get Kurt Angle to wrestle such fun but meaningless matches and get William Regal to come out of retirement for a bonkers six-man tag? If Austin gets things off the ground, one thing that is clear is that he has the contacts you need to do some really exciting things.



Tag Teams, Women but No Ace?
There were no signs of a big name ‘Ace’ of the company, with Angle being the biggest male singles star taking part in these shows. What was clear is that Austin loves Tag Team Wrestling and he loves Women’s Wrestling. We’ve known this from his podcast but to see him give prominent roles to women and tag teams shows that Austin is still in touch with the fanbase. It was expecially interesting to see this expanding beyond former WWE stars including The Young Bucks, Rosemary and others from beyond the WWE bubble. So if Austin does get something off the ground it’s exciting to see it’ll be more than just WWE 2.0.
Surely though Austin will need a big name to be the focal point and there are no shortage of 'top guys' looking for work

With very few developments since running a series of house shows last months, Steve Austin was active today on twitter, posting three images. 




He tweeted the first image with the simple caption, "Don't Tread on Me."




The second image carried no caption but features the four men each won their Round Robin Blocks of the Broken Skull Challenge during Austin's untelevised events: Drew Gulak, Zack Sabre Jr., Dragon Lee and Christopher Daniels.

The third image is the one that got everyone really talking.

SPOILER: Click to show

An image of Kenny Omega and AJ Styles with the caption "Best in the World? Listen to the Podcast this Thursday!"

The following is an excerpt from the Steve Austin Show podcast...

Austin: Well we’re recording this here at 3:16 Gimmick Street at the Broken Skull Ranch and I ain’t gonna bullshit you this week. I know you don’t wanna hear ol’ Stone Cold flappin’ his gums like you normally do. You want me to get to business. You want me to talk about the exact same thing that the rest of the professional wrestling business is talking about. And I get it, so I won’t mess you guys around – let’s get right to it.



What the hell is Defiance? What are those pictures ol’ Stone Cole is posting all about? Well, it don’t take a rocket scientist to figure it out. My lawyers have done there work. A certain Mr. McDevitt helped me out on top of my own lawyers. I’ve signed a deal with a broadcast company in Canada…and it is official. Despite what the powers that be have decided…despite what that great blonde-wigged son of a bitch in Pennslyvania Avenue is trying to do…Pro Wrestling is coming to the Broken Skull Ranch. I’ve built myself a pretty rustic 6,000 seat building. I’ve gotten a website you can stream it from. You can buy tickets from Ticketmaster Canada starting this Friday…Defiance is coming to you live from the Broken Skull Ranch…and that’s the bottom line, cause Stone Cold said so.



Will I get in trouble? There’s a fair chance. Do I need the hassle? You bet your ass I don’t need the hassle. But there’s a time and a place when a man needs to take a stand. It just so happens I’m the only guy crazy enough to take a stand that’s in a position to be able to do something, so it is what it is…and let me tell you this. The Broken Skull Ranch is going to showcase the very best professional wrestling on this planet and I am proud to be able to do it. So how about a few details? Well I don’t want to sit here talking to myself, so let me introduce you to some of my broadcast colleagues. How you doin’ J.R.?



JR: I’m doing pretty good. I’ll tell you what, this is a pretty exciting time to be getting back behind the announce desk.



Austin: Hell yeah it is! Especially with weaselly old Paul E. beside you!



Paul Heyman: I object to the term weaselly but I wholeheartedly endorse the enthusiasm sirs.



Austin: Now you two called the main event of the greatest pay-per-view event of all time featuring yours truly. Neither of you need the gig – why did you agree to come and help your old pal Stone Cold out here?



Paul Heyman: The greatest act of cowardice is to do nothing in the face of tyranny. Forget party politics. What this administration has done is nothing short of tyranny. It’s an assault to our freedom. Pure and simple. And like yourself I could not look myself in the mirror having turned down an opportunity to stick my middle finger right in the face of 45. That’s the first point. The second is this. I have loved my role as the advocate for Brock Lesnar. It has brought me so much enjoyment and satisfaction – satisfaction that I at one stage thought impossible. But when you sat me down and you outlined to me your vision for the Broken Skull Ranch…I was almost glad our business got turned upside down. What you have lined up…and I know I’m prone to hyperbole…



Austin: That’s a fancy word for bullshit, right?



Heyman: …some may say so. Though I am prone to hyperbole…I want to make it clear…I believe in this product. I believe in what you are building. And I am excited…beyond excited…to see the possibilities.



JR: You know I really gotta agree. We know the truth, if you asked me to commentate your nephews graduation I would…that’s the friendship we have. But I’m not doing this just because we’re drinking buddies or to go down some nostalgic road-trip. I really want to be a part of it.



Austin: Now I know what you’re all thinking. How in the hell are these two old farts going to be able to call the very best action in the world – no offence gentlemen. And well, that’s why they’re both doing colour. We’ve got a three man booth, also joining us today is Mr. Mauro Ranallo.



Mauro: What an honour and a privilege just to be talking to three absolute legends of the industry. I am so psyched to be here.



Austin: Now Mauro, let’s talk about the show, and let’s talk about the Broken Skull Challenge. You have been at all of my secret shows, you’ve watched all of the matches. At Defiance we got two no DQ semi-finals. We got Drew Gulak vs. Zack Sabre Jr. and then we have Christopher Daniels vs. Dragon Lee. Then the two winners will face off in the Final inside a steel cage to earn a contract.



Maruo: I think it says so much about the talent pool you have at your disposal that these four men are fighting for a contract. All four are top talents with hugely different styles. Gulak and Sabre are going to have a very technical, mat-based match. They both got six points in the Group stages and so come into this with equal momentum. Gulak was right at the top of 205 Live when that brand still existed and Sabre had an incredible showing at the G1 Climax last year, defeating some of the very best in the business. It will be a human game of chess and I have no idea how to call it.



Heyman: If I may interject at this stage, can we talk about Christopher Daniels? Can we talk about how Dragon Lee is 23 years old. Gulak and Sabre are 31 – still very young in this sport. Christopher Daniels is 48 years old. And yet he has made it through to this stage, why? Because he really wants it. Because he is hungry. What a fascinating match up we’ll have between Daniels and Dragon Lee. Youth vs. Experience – the only question that matters is who wants it more.



Austin: So there you have it. At Defiance we will have two semi-final matches and a final inside a steel cage. Why? Because I want these guys to really prove themselves to get that contract. As Mauro said, I’m not playing around, I’ve only got room for the very best. Which brings me to two more matches I can officially announce. The first we kinda let out of the bag…but not the details. I want to have the very best wrestler in the world be the Broken Skull Champion. I don’t know who that is – but I know that there are two contenders as far as I’m considered. And that’s Kenny Omega and AJ Styles. So our main event of Defiance will be Omega vs. Styles…for the Men’s BSR Championship.



Of course, we can’t have a Men’s World Title and not a Women’s…but I gotta say, the top two gals in the world aren’t so clear cut. So I just finalised the details today, and we’re having a gauntlet match to crown the first Women’s BSR Champion. And taking part will be Asuka, Bayley, Becky Lynch, Charlotte Flair, Ember Moon and Sasha Banks. Six absolute bad ass women and one will be our champion…

SPOILER: Click to show

BSR Championship
AJ Styles vs. Kenny Omega

BSR Championship 
Gauntlet Match
Asuka vs. Bayley vs. Becky Lynch vs. Charlotte Flair vs. Ember Moon vs. Sasha Banks

Broken Skull Challenge 

Semi-Finals - No DQ

Drew Gulak vs. Zack Sabre Jr.
Christopher Daniels vs. Dragon Lee

Finals - Steel Cage Match

TBD. vs. TBD

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